Sticks and Stones
by ShimmeringCrimson
Summary: The Matsuno brothers aren't pleased when Totty gets a new boyfriend.


**Warnings: Domestic Abuse, Light Gore, Angst - Nothing Explicit**

"Totty, where are you going?" Jyushimatsu asks, pausing from his tentacle arm joke as Todomatsu slings his bag over his shoulder. The other brothers halt in their lazy activities to pay attention to the youngest sextuplet.

"Hm? Oh, I'm going to Keiji's," Todomatsu answers distractedly. His fingers tap rapidly at his smartphone during his reply, causing him to miss his brothers' reactions. They all glance at each other, silently communicating.

"Keiji?" Osomatsu questions, taking the role of the big brother and asking what was on everyone's mind. "Who's Keiji?"

Todomatsu blinks. "My boyfriend."

"EHHH?!" Five voices immediately screech. Todomatsu winces at the harsh noise.

"Totty, you have a boyfriend?!" Choromatsu exclaims in disbelief.

"Since when?" Karamatsu demands.

"We got together about two weeks ago," the youngest says nonchalantly.

The older brothers are too stunned to reply when Todomatsu says, "I don't know when I'll be home, so don't wait up for me," and exits their home, sliding the door shut on his way out.

Silence invades the room as the occupants try to scramble their thoughts together. A particularly dark aura is overflowing from Ichimatsu.

"I don't like him," he scowls, lips twisting downward into an ugly expression.

Ichimatsu's declaration is silently agreed upon, although Choromatsu hesitantly says, "We shouldn't judge him before we've even met him. Totty is just growing up, he's old enough to make his own decisions. We shouldn't try to ruin this for him."

Begrudgingly, the others agree, but they can't quite shake off the bad feeling they are getting from the situation.

/

Another month passes and Totty's relationship is still going strong. He spends less time with his brothers, choosing to spend time with his boyfriend and even occasionally sleeping over at Keiji's house, much to the displeasure of his brothers.

The worst part about it is that Todomatsu seems so _happy._ When he gets home after a date with Keiji, he'll spend the next hour rambling about how great his boyfriend is and what a gentleman he is. Even Jyushimatsu was starting to get jealous of the person who had caught his younger brother's attention.

Despite their dislike, they've come to accept Totty's distance. Gradually they became used to the empty spot in the middle of the futon at night and the absence of the youngest brother's gossiping and teasing.

It's three months into his relationship when Todomatsu starts to change a little more. They don't really notice it at first, because it's small things. Unnoticeable things. He begins to decline offers to spend time with his family more often, telling them that he had promised to see Keiji. When he is with them, he's on his phone more often, texting and taking the occasional call. After a while, they begin to notice that Todomatsu barely goes anywhere other than Keiji's when he's not with them.

Although these changes don't seem to be good, they are barely there and Todomatsu is still the sly, clever little brother they are used to. He still jokes around and makes fun of his brothers, and he looks happier than he has in years. There is no reason to interfere with Totty's love life, no matter how much the brothers want to.

Jyushimatsu yawns as he flushes the toilet, rinsing his hands briefly. A sleepy, wide smile grows when he hears the front door opening and the rustling of a bag.

 _'Totty's home,'_ he thinks happily, turning off the bathroom light and shutting the door. Instead of going back to the room filled with his slumbering siblings, he heads to the entrance door, hoping to have a few moments with his younger brother.

He stops when he sees his pink-donned brother crouching on the floor with his bag in his lap. He thinks it's a bit strange, but he shrugs it off and opens his mouth to call out a loud greeting.

"Totty!" he yells excitedly. Jyuushimatsu stares in confusion when he sees Todomatsu flinch almost violently, freezing in his spot.

"A-ah, Jyushimatsu-niisan," he says, voice a bit thick. "What are you doing up? It's already past midnight."

"I had to go to the bathroom!" he answers enthusiastically, but his eyes are watching Todomatsu's trembling back carefully. "I heard you come in."

"O-oh, I see," Totty says, standing up and turning to Jyushimatsu with a smile. His face is tilted downwards and the lighting is dim, but he thinks he can see puffy red skin underneath his eyes. "Well, I'm pretty tired, so I think I'll head to bed. Goodnight Niisan, I'll see you in the morning."

Jyushimatsu stares after Todomatsu a moment longer, silently vowing to discuss this with the others later.

/

"Karamatsu-niisan, can I ask you something?"

Karamatsu startles, staring wide-eyed at Todomatsu before a large, confident grin lights up his face. "Of course, my dear brother! It is only natural that I help those is need, as it is my duty!"

Totty hesitates for a moment, and his worried expression makes Karamatsu's initial glee soften in concern. "What makes you happy when you're upset?"

His curiosity piques at the question. "Why, the affection and attention of my dear brothers are no greater gift to me! To know how adored I am is the greatest cure to any distasteful mood!" He poses dramatically, pleased at Todomatsu's enlightened expression.

"Thanks, Karamatsu-niisan!" The second oldest brother stared in shock at Todomatsu's relieved look and the quick hug he is given. A second later Todomatsu was at the door and slipping on his shoes.

"W-wait, where are you going?" Karamatsu asks, still stunned by the rapid turn of events.

"I have to go do something!" Totty says, tightening his shoelace. "I'll be back later!"

The door slams shut and he can hear the stomps of Totty running down the pavement as he gets farther away.

Totty ends up not coming home for two days.

/

It's the day after Totty and Keiji's six month anniversary of being together, and Choromatsu and the others have yet to find a definite reason to break them up. They had been formally introduced a few weeks earlier when Totty had invited his boyfriend to his house, and there had been nothing particularly wrong with him. In fact, Keiji was take-home material. He had neat dark hair and deep brown eyes with crinkles from laughter on his cheeks and around his eyes. He was physically fit and already employed at his father's business, which wasn't large but still successful enough for Keiji to live comfortably after he inherited it. He seemed perfect for Totty, reliable and able to support both of them.

And yet…Choromatsu couldn't help but feel that something was off with him. Throughout the meal they had had, Keiji was constantly pulling Totty closer to him and running his fingers across him intimately. The only thing that had stopped the older brothers from lunging over the table was the warning Totty had given them to behave before Keiji had arrived.

Choromatsu had twitched incessantly whenever Keiji leaned down to whisper something in Totty's ear. Each time he did this, a smile would appear on Totty's face, but occasionally they would be strained and careful.

Totty had been nothing but careful since he started dating Keiji. He was careful with his words and his body, and it made Choromatsu incredibly nervous. The only reason Totty would act like that would be if he had something to hide.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he watched his youngest brother frown at the checker board in front of him thoughtfully. He reached out and put one of his black pieces onto the next space and leaned back in his chair with a smile.

The green-wearing man can't help but return the warm smile with one of his own, enjoying the moment of peace he was getting with his brother. "So how was your anniversary with Keiji?" he asks, trying not to let any contempt slip into his words as he moves his piece forward.

He sees Totty's hand still and then stiffly pick up a checker. "It was nice," he answers. "He took me out to dinner and we watched a movie when we got home."

Choromatsu notes the unenthusiastic tone, deciding to drop it. He doesn't want to hear Totty complain about what crappy movie Keiji had picked out that had made him upset.

"Well, you totally missed out on the pizza we had last night." His attempt at changing the subject was met with a grateful smile.

"You'll get fat if you eat too much junk food, Choromatsu-niisan," he scolded teasingly. "I know you've been sneaking Cheetos and chips into the bathroom to eat."

He curses inwardly, wondering where his littlest brother had learned how to gather information and beat him so badly in checkers. He groans a little as Totty crowns one of his checkers as a king, adding to his already-crowned ones.

It's when Totty is leaning forward to grab his checker and his sleeve pushes up that Choromatsu sees the dark black and purple bruise around his wrist. With a sick feeling in his stomach, he realizes that it is shaped vaguely like fingers.

Choromatsu breathes in sharply. "Totty," he says, feeling as careful as Totty had been acting recently. "What is that?"

Totty turns his gaze to him questionably, following his eyes to where he was looking at. When he notices his exposed wrist, he pales rapidly and shoves his sleeve down and pulls his arm behind his back.

"It's nothing," Totty insists. "It's just a bruise, it was an accident."

His older brother doesn't waver. "Totty, did _Keiji_ do that?" His voice has turned serious.

"He didn't mean to!" Tears are welling in Totty's eyes and a pleading pout is forming. Damn, he knew how to guilt Choromatsu easily. "We were at the gym and he was pulling me out of the way of this other guy, and he just pulled me a little too hard! I knew if you guys had seen it you would have jumped to conclusions, so I thought it would be easier if I didn't tell you!"

Totty is looking at him with wide, sincere eyes. Choromatsu melts. "You promise this hasn't happened before?" he asks suspiciously.

His younger brother looks slightly offended. "Of course not! Keiji would never try to hurt me!"

Choromatsu sighs, hoping the twist in his gut didn't mean anything. "I'll let it pass this time," he says reluctantly. Totty beams thankfully and they continue with their game.

He doesn't notice the way Totty does not meet his eyes for the rest of the day.

/

"Don't they know how ridiculous they look?" Todomatsu laughs as he and Osomatsu watch a show on bad fashion clothing. The girl on the screen is wearing gaudy jewelry and her hair is pimped up into an 80's style, the bright blue eyeshadow and purple lipstick making her look even worse. Osomatsu laughs in agreement, watching the amused smile on Totty's face fondly.

Maybe it's Osomatsu's internal big brother intuition, but he's worried about Totty. The sly, cat-like smile that used to be permanently painted on his face seemed to be increasingly missing lately, and he was barely home anymore. Today was the first time he had seen his youngest brother in almost four days. When he had been questioned on this behavior, he had nervously replied, "Keiji wanted me to stay over longer."

Totty seemed to be doing a lot of things Keiji wanted him to do, in Osomatsu's opinion.

Todomatsu's happy expression freezes when a catchy tune rings out from his phone. Osomatsu manages to see the "Keiji" with a heart emoji next to the name before his brother answers the phone.

"Keiji?" Totty asks once he's picked up. Osomatsu turns down the volume on the TV so Todomatsu can hear properly, but he doesn't seem to notice.

"I'm with Osomatsu-niisan," he answers a question Osomatsu didn't hear. "We're just watching TV at home."

Osomatsu knows it's rude to eavesdrop, but he can't help but notice the anxious tension his youngest brother is emitting. There's another pause and he can vaguely make out Keiji's voice from the other side of the phone.

"But-" Totty protests, flinching as his boyfriend's voice raises enough in volume that Osomatsu can hear the harsh tone. He glances over at Osomatsu fearfully, biting his lip. "Sorry, I understand. I'll be there soon."

"What was that all about?" Osomatsu asks after Totty presses the 'End Call' button.

"Sorry, Osomatsu-niisan, I have to go. Keiji…needs help with something." Osomatsu can tell Todomatsu is lying, but he presses his lips together and nods, watching with worry as Totty hurriedly grabs his bag and rushes out the door.

/

Ichimatsu isn't the best at expressing his emotions. He's always been easily irritated and interacting with other people is harder for him than it is for his brothers. So even though he doesn't show it, he's concerned for his youngest brother.

When he is awoken by the sound of sniffling and shuffling, he groans and rolls over to peer at the clock, rubbing his eyes in annoyance when he makes out the time out to be two in the morning. He lies quietly as footsteps retreat to the bathroom, blurrily realizing that there are still four bodies next to him.

Yawning, he pushes himself up on his elbows and rubs his eyes, forcing himself to sit up. He drags himself to his feet and silently pads to the bathroom, stopping once he reaches the cracked door. A line of light shone through the opening, and Ichimatsu pushed it open. He's momentarily blinded by the light, and he shields his eyes while saying sleepily, "Totty, you're home?"

"I-Ichimatsu-niisan!" Totty's voice is odd, and when Ichimatsu squints and his eyes adjust, his younger brother is turned away from him and shielding his face.

"Totty, what are you doing?" Ichimatsu furrows his eyebrows, stepping closer. Totty's shoulders are trembling, and his heart starts to beat faster. Hesitantly, he asks, "Are you…okay?"

"I'm fine," Totty answers quickly, still refusing to face Ichimatsu. He's looking down at his feet stubbornly, arm held to the side of his face.

"Is that so?" It's clear that Ichimatsu doesn't believe them. "Look at me."

Totty shakes his head, tremors running through his body. Ichimatsu's eyes narrow, previous tiredness forgotten. He grabs his brother's shoulder, flipping him around harshly and pulling his arm away from his face. Totty cries out in pain, and a flash of guilt passes through Ichimatsu before he sees what Totty's been hiding.

Black and purple are mixed together across Totty's cheekbone, spreading upwards to his eye and reaching his temple. Ugly greenish yellow fans out from the edges. His eye is swollen and half-closed, and the skin around the black eye is pale and unhealthy-looking. It's dark and ugly and it makes Ichimatsu feel sick. Totty won't look him in the eye, and Ichimatsu wants to scream and shout and demand Totty to tell him what happened.

But...there's only one person who could do this, isn't there?

"Did Keiji do this to you?" His voice is monotone, strangely calm compared to the anger boiling through his veins.

Tears drip down Totty's face. He doesn't answer, but that is all that Ichimatsu needs to confirm his question. And judging from the bruise Choromatsu had told them about weeks ago, this wasn't the first time the bastard had hurt Totty.

His hands are gentle as he guides Todomatsu back to their shared bedroom, rubbing his back as soft sobs rack his body. Ichimatsu flicks on the light, causing the others to groan and muffle curses. The protests abruptly stop when they hear the sharp, broken gasps of Todomatsu as he tries to keep his breathing under control.

"Totty?" Osomatsu asks gently. The brothers' eyes widen simultaneously when they see the violent mark on Todomatsu's face. They connect the dots lightning-fast, and deadly auras flare from them.

"I'm going to use his head as a baseball," Jyushimatsu hisses cheerfully from behind a dark, toothy smile. Karamatsu cracks his knuckles threateningly while Choromatsu gets out the first-aid kit and goes to search the freezer for a bag of peas. Osomatsu kneels down and squeezes Todomatsu's hand reassuringly, a grim smile on his lips.

Choromatsu returns and tenderly presses the cold bag of peas against Todomatsu's injured eye, and Todomatsu sniffs, wiping away his tears. The other brothers are putting on clothes, and less than ten minutes later, Todomatsu is tucked in a blanket with the peas on the side of his face with Choromatsu sitting quietly next to him. The others nod at Choromatsu as they exit the household, careful to keep the noise down so that they don't wake the sleeping, exhausted Totty.

The next day, it is announced that Keiji Takamono is missing when his blood is found on his bedroom floor. The brothers are careful not to let Todomatsu hear the announcement, and they are constantly around him at all times, fussing over him and insisting on putting the items they had collected from Keiji's back where they came from. The Matsuno brothers have always been a little more protective of the youngest, but now they are worse than ever. Jyushimatsu clings to Totty and Karamatsu offers dramatic words of encouragement. Ichimatsu drops a small kitten into his lap and pats him on the head seriously, while Choromatsu worriedly hovers and offers to get him things all day. Osomatsu is as obnoxiously loud as ever, and his normality and jokes cause Totty to smile weakly.

The older brothers smile back, and they pretend that they hadn't hacked a knife through the youngest's ex-boyfriend's eye last night or shoved their hands through an open cut in his stomach and pulled out his intestines. Like Jyushimatsu didn't swing his metal baseball bat into Keiji's legs over and over, or Ichimatsu hadn't pulled off his nails one by one. Like Karamatsu didn't break his arms and bend them at unnatural angles. They act like the eldest brother hadn't wrapped his hands around his neck and squeezed until he stopped struggling and the life had left his eyes. Like Choromatsu hadn't chopped his body up and hid it once the others got home to look after Totty.

They smile, and vow to look after Totty, because he is the youngest and the most innocent, despite his cunning and slyness.

And Totty smiles back obliviously, because he knows he will eventually heal with the help of his dear, loving brothers.

* * *

 _there aren't enough fics in this fandom jfc  
bless totty he's my baby _


End file.
